The present disclosure relates to a picking device for dispensing drug combinations, and in particular to a picking device for dispensing drug combinations arranged in storage vessels.
Automated picking devices are frequently used in pharmacies to store drug packages in a manner which saves space and which enables rapid dispensing. The drug packages are chaotically stored in the known picking devices which are particularly suitable for pharmacies. This means that the drug packs are stored not in predetermined storage locations in the device, but rather in storage locations where there is sufficient space at the moment. The picking devices operating according to the principle of chaotic storage are limited to a special type of drug packs suitable for the operating devices and for the storage spaces used in the picking devices. However, sometimes a patient is to be prescribed patient-specific drug combinations that include a precisely predetermined number of drugs of certain types, which are compiled by authorized personnel in a pharmacy, for example, and are subsequently placed in storage pouches until collected by a patient. Since patient-specific drug combinations are prepared for each patient, it is essential in such a system that a storage pouch clearly represents the drug combination placed in the same pouch, and that there is a link between the storage pouch and the drug combination. For this purpose, a corresponding identifier (e.g., a barcode) is affixed to the storage pouches. However, such a system is mechanically complex, and this mechanical complexity results in low dispensing speeds and increased maintenance efforts.